Cambridge Cybermentors

Young people from The Parkside Federation have led the way in Cambridge for the CyberMentors programme and as a result, members were invited to meet with Ed Balls (Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families) and N-Dubz on Thursday 12th November at BBC Maida Vale Studios, London, to promote CyberMentors and to launch Anti-Bullying Week 2009.

Sophie Smith, Locality Youth Worker who led the project said "Peer support available from anti-bullying groups and CyberMentors is key to tackle the issues of bullying in their communities, as young people are far more likely to approach people their own age for support".

Tim Entecott, a pupil from The Parkside Federation, who was trained in June with 24 other young people from Parkside and Coleridge Campuses, has been recognised as the most frequent mentor on the site in the UK. Tim has written a press pack report for Newsround about his experiences as a CyberMentor and what it was like to meet Ed Balls. Tim said "a car drove up with Ed Balls inside - Emma-Jane, the CEO of BeatBullying and I greeted him, and then I got to talk to him and answer some of his questions about CyberMentors - it was really interesting. I hope his interest in CyberMentors and BeatBullying will really help us to get more money for the project, and make bullying less of a problem in schools and everywhere." View Tim's full report.

Kerrie Tonks, Locality Youth Work Coordinator for Cambridgeshire County Council said, "We are extremely proud of him and the achievements of the Anti-Bullying Groups at the Parkside Federation".

On Tuesday 10th November, Coleridge Campus, Parkside Federation, welcomed BBC Radio 1 into school to talk to 4 young people about their experiences of cyberbullying. Radio recordings and TV footage were then used for BBC Breakfast and Radio 1 Newsbeat on Monday 16th November to raise awareness of the issue.

The CyberMentors scheme was officially launched last week at Parkside and Coleridge Campuses with the help of Sophie Smith (youth worker) Dan Roberts (Humanities teacher), Sue Moore (TA, both from Coleridge Campus) and Pete Morris (Humanities teacher at Parkside Campus). The groups also organised cake stalls and anti-bullying badge making sessions to raise money for the BeatBullying Charity, as well as poster, poetry and music competitions.

During October half term twelve young people from both Parkside and Coleridge Campus hosted activities in and around Cambridge young people from Cologne, Germany to educate them about life as a teenager in Cambridge. The group also spoke about experiences of bullying and how it is dealt with in different countries.